The following discussion of the background art is intended to facilitate an understanding of the present invention only. The discussion is not an acknowledgement or admission that any of the material referred to is or was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of the application.
Sponges are used in a range of applications for cleaning liquid impervious surfaces. Such applications include domestic cleaning of baths, basins, floors and table tops. Sponges are also used in a range of medical cleaning applications.
Typically sponges are produced from porous materials which display good liquid absorbing characteristics, particularly for absorbing water and water-based solutions. Materials employed in producing sponges generally include cellulose wood fibres and foamed plastic polymers. Although some natural sponges are still commercially available for use in cleaning applications, most natural sponges are used as body/facial sponges or as decorating tools for sponge painting. Synthetic sponges, on the other hand, are generally produced from low-density polyether, polyester and polyvinyl acetate (PVC).
A drawback associated with conventional sponges is that they can provide a favourable breeding ground for harmful bacteria or fungi. This is particularly true in the case where a sponge is allowed to remain wet between periods of use.
One manner in which bacteria infecting a sponge can be killed is by soaking the sponge in clean water and thereafter subjecting it to electromagnetic waves inside a conventional microwave oven. A disadvantage, however, in making use of this method of sterilising a sponge is that the sponge could be set alight if it was not properly soaked prior to being placed inside the microwave oven.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative unit which can be used in sterilising an absorbent body, such as a sponge.